The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan
stand-up comedian Romesh Ranganathan visits countries that tourists usually avoid…
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan travels beyond his comfort zone to some dangerous countries in this new travelogue.
When it comes to holidaying abroad, comedian Romesh Ranganathan admits his idea of a good time is lying beside a pool. But for his new BBC2 travel series he immerses himself in some of the world’s most beautiful but dangerous destinations, where most tourists fear to tread.
His first port of call is Haiti, a country ravaged by a devastating earthquake in
2010. ‘All I really knew about Haiti was there’s loads of poverty, it was run by dictators and they’re heavily into voodoo,’ says Romesh.
The dad-of-three confesses to being genuinely terrified when he was taken to a voodoo ceremony. ‘Essentially it was dark, there were some funny smells and drumming, but because of all my preconceptions, everything was massively ramped up in my head,’ says Romesh. ‘It was like going into the woods at night just after you’ve watched a horror movie set in a forest!’
Romesh also visits Ethiopia and Albania, and there are plenty more hair-raising moments as he looks for wolves and even gets a tattoo! But while the show is peppered with his wry observations, there are many sobering moments too.
In Haiti, he visits the poorest area of its capital, Port-au-Prince. ‘There were children living in terrible conditions and people wandering around with guns. Haiti is in the Caribbean so it’s got nice weather and stunning beaches, but I have never seen poverty like it.’